| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Moat Mountain, Middle Moat Mountain, North Moat Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Moat Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 10, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
plenty of parking at the trailhead, no toilet. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
one water crossing with bridge |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
a few trees down that you can easily step over |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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|
 | Bugs: |
all clear |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
lost pink/purple REI kid's sun hat |
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|
 | Comments: |
a long day on the trail doing an out and back of the three summits. Beautiful day, very warm, all trail conditions encountered. We started at South Moat trailhead and headed right up. The trail starts as a nice walk through the trees. One water crossing with a bridge over it. Then gradually turns into rocky trail with lots of loose rock and roots. As we broke out of the trees the trail became exposed with plenty of managable scrambles then up to the summit of South Moat at about 2.4 miles. The exposed summit offered beautiful views of Chocorua and other peaks.
We Continued along the ridge a short jaunt to the summit of Middle Moat. More beautiful views. That ridge section of the trail was a nice easy trail. Easy to follow.
We then headed down a bit on our way to North Moat. The trail quickly turns to basically a running creek bed from snow melt. Transitioned to granular snow and ice. We barebooted out of laziness, but added spikes on the return. We hit North Moat at 5.3 miles with spectacular 360 degree views of what seemed like every range in the White Mountains.
Total miles: 10.6
Elevation gain: 3642
Time: approximately 8 hours
Personal rating: hard-strenuous
Thoughts: this was a HARD hike. Easier without the elusive North summit that seemed to move farther away at every viewpoint. This hike is right up there in difficulty with some of the hardest of the 4ks, but was a great adventure and the views were worth it 100%. |
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 | Name: |
Katrina |
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 | E-Mail: |
katrinajstyles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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